Standing for success
In the vast and ever-expanding world of sports clichés, winning is treated like some mood-enhancing pharmaceutical wonder drug.
Winning breeds confidence. Winning breeds teamwork. And (conveniently) winning breeds more winning.
At Cheney, Alyshia Madison is hoping it translates into more respect for the school’s girls soccer program. The Blackhawks’ pursuit of school-wide reverence continues Friday when they face Cedarcrest in the State 2A semifinals at Harry Lang Stadium in Lakewood at noon.
“I feel really proud that we’re the first (Cheney girls soccer) team to go to the state semifinals,” said Madison, a four-year starter who earned a scholarship to play defender at Jacksonville (Ala.) State University next year. “It’s really exciting. I want to come home with a ring or a sweatshirt and show the people what we’ve accomplished.”
A victory will thrust Cheney into the state championship Saturday at 4 p.m. against either Eatonville or Archbishop Murphy, the two schools meeting in the other state semifinal Friday at 10 a.m. The semifinal losers will square off in the consolation finals Saturday at 10 a.m.
“I thought we could make the Final Four,” Madison said. “We have a strong defensive end, and we have midfielders and forwards who can put the ball away.”
The Blackhawks have been rolling through state, securing identical 4-0 victories in each of the first two rounds. Looming ahead is a Cedarcrest team that has played nearly its entire season on artificial turf, the surface on which the two teams will meet Friday.
Balls have a tendency to skim off the turf – particularly in wet weather – and will challenge the Blackhawks defense. That makes Madison’s presence in the back more important.
”(The sport) is her life,” Cheney coach Marisa Sheldon said. “It is what she wanted to do since she was this big. You can’t teach somebody to see a lane and know how you should attack that space. You have to be aware of everything. It’s all split-second decisions.
“You can coach it a little bit, but you have to be a student of the game. At this level, you don’t get to see many players like her.”
Madison’s ball skills allow her to roam forward and press Cheney’s attack. Sheldon said the left-footed Madison has “tremendous power” and is cognizant of where she needs to place a ball.
“Coming out of the back, she’s a big secret weapon for this team,” Sheldon said.
Sheldon has coached the Blackhawks since 2001, but she missed almost the first month of the season after undergoing surgery to relieve compression in her spinal column. A thin, 5-inch scar existing on the front of her neck, Sheldon praised assistant coach Robyn Smith for her work this year.
“She has brought this team to where they are,” Sheldon said. “For her and me, we do it for the love of the game and the excitement of seeing the girls (accomplish) something.”
Picking up a little more respect in the process wouldn’t be such a bad thing, either.